Out of ideas for fun ways to beat the New Orleans heat? Here's some suggestions

With the end of summer looming and the heat soaring, New Orleanians might be out of ideas for indoor activities.

Courtesy of Audubon Nature InstituteZack Lemann and Jayme Necaise of Audubon Nature Institute, work with ants at the Audubon Insectarium.

Spots such as the Louisiana Children's Museum and the New Orleans Museum of Art are no-brainers, but New Orleans is home to a number of smaller museums and exhibits that can be informative and fun for kids and adults alike.

Here are 10 local destinations for making the most of the last days of summer.

1. "Katrina +5: Documenting Disaster" at The Historic New Orleans Collection, open through Sept. 12, Tuesday through Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Sunday, 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at 533 Royal St. Free admission. Call 504.523.4662 or visit www.hnoc.org.

Looking back on the past five years can be painful, but the intention of exhibit is to chronicle not only the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and the levee breaches but also the renewal of the city. The exhibit includes photographs from across the region, oral histories, maps and a multimedia station, featuring an interactive map and a look at Katrina-related websites.

2. New Orleans Pharmacy Museum, open Tuesday through Friday, noon to 5 p.m., and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., at 514 Chartres St. Admission is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors and students, free for children under 6. Call 504.565.8027 or visit www.pharmacymuseum.org.

Many have noticed the front of this odd-looking museum while walking in the French Quarter but never had the time or strong enough inclination to go in. Contrary to appearances, the museum will appeal to kids with an appreciation of the spectacular gross-out -- consider the jar full of live leeches, the bloodletting instruments, amputation instruments, a shock machine and voodoo potions, museum director Liz Good said. Not all is blood and guts, though. The museum also features an 1855 soda fountain, "where they would dispense medicines mixed with soda water and flavoring, " Good said.

3. New Texas Leafcutter ant exhibit at the Audubon Insectarium, open Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., at 423 Canal St. Admission is $15 for adults, $10 for children, $12 for seniors. Call 504.410.2847 or visit www.auduboninstitute.org.

Earlier this month the Insectarium brought in a new colony for this popular exhibit, in which visitors can see the insects foraging for food in their habitat. The previous colony had declined, putting the exhibit out of commission for about a month. Now it's back, giving visitors a reason to revisit the museum to see insects large and small, beautiful and horrible. If you wimped out on eating the fried crickets last time you went, now's the time to redeem yourself.

The exhibits "tell the story of the city -- why it was founded, why they chose the location, all that, " said Beth Sigur, director of special events. If you think it's a typical celebrity lookalike-driven wax museum, think again: Look for Marie Laveau, the Battle of New Orleans scene and the "haunted dungeon."

Just across from St. Augustine Catholic Church in the heart of Treme, Backstreet is so unassuming you might have overlooked its significance in representing the history of some of New Orleans' strongest cultural traditions, including Mardi Gras Indians, social aid and pleasure clubs, second-lines and jazz funerals.

If you want more Indians, head to the House of Dance and Feathers in the Lower 9th Ward. It's open by appointment only. Call 504.957.2678 or visit www.houseofdanceandfeathers.com.

6. New Orleans African-American Museum, open Wednesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., at 1418 Gov. Nicholls St. Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for seniors and children, $2 for children 12 and under.

Also in the heart of Treme and housed in the 190-year-old Meilleur-Goldthwaite House, it focuses on the African-American experience in New Orleans. Current exhibits explore "drapetomania, " the name for the supposed disease that was blamed for causing slaves to flee their bondage, and the work of contemporary artist and native son Ted Ellis.

7. American-Italian Renaissance Foundation Museum and Library, open Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at 537 S. Peters St. Admission is $8 for adults, $5 for seniors and students. Call 504.522.7294 or visit www.americanitalianmuseum.com.

Anyone who didn't know New Orleans had an Italian-American museum has all the more reason to see what's at this spot tucked away in the Central Business District. The "Hall of Honor" features hand-painted signs by New Orleans artist Franco Alessandri, and the museum traces the history of the city's Italian-American community through first-person accounts, photos and memorabilia.

8. New Orleans Civil War Museum, open Wednesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at 929 Camp St. Admission is $7 for adults; $5 for seniors, students and military; $2 for children 12 and under. Call 504.523.4522 or visit www.confederatemuseum.org.

Housed in the historic Confederate Memorial Hall, built in 1891, this is the oldest museum in Louisiana and contains one of the country's largest collections of Confederate artifacts and memorabilia, including uniforms, flags and firearms. Even if you're not into whistling Dixie, the architecture of the hall is worth a peek. Plus -- attention New Orleans trivia buffs -- the hall served as the state's official museum until 1908.

The PRC, which is dedicated to preserving and honoring New Orleans architecture, is offering a free peek at the postcard collection of Geoffrey Snodgrass. The pieces depict American cityscapes, buildings and monuments from the turn of the 20th century. If you're not into architecture or deltiology (postcard collecting), but are "discreetly interested in the private correspondence of the well-traveled, " you'll be "delighted with the small exhibit, which features the messages, " the PRC's Mary Fitzpatrick said.

10. Old Ursulines Convent, open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at 1110 Chartres St. Admission is $5 for adults, $4 seniors, $3 students, free for children under 6. Call 504.529.3040.

This historic convent dates to 1752 and is the oldest building in the city. The nuns came to New Orleans in 1727, not long after its birth, and provided the city's first public medical care service and first orphanage and girls' school.

If you want to visit another religious museum, check out the St. Alphonsus Art and Cultural Center, which traces the history of the former Catholic church and features ecclesiastical artifacts. Open Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at 2025 Constance St. Call 504.524.8116 or visit www.stalphonsusneworleans.org.